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| Sundance Mountain |
Yesterday we went for to see the Rocky Mountain National Park, sixty miles North West of Denver. From Denver we took Route 36 through Boulder and through Estes Park to Fall River Centre.
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| Approaching from Estes Park |
It's easy to see how the Rockies got that name as rocky it is, compared with the Southern Alps of New Zealand that appear more shingly.
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| Rocky Mountains, Estes Park |
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| Lily Mountain rocks |
As we had been told by the ranger at the Gateway that the Trail Ridge Road to the summit was closed we headed for Endo Valley, stopping at Alluvial Fan.
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| Snow Melt, Alluvial Fan |
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| Alluvial Fan |
Amazingly at Alluvial Fan, a short distance from Endovalley, it was sunny and windless so we enjoyed a picnic lunch closely watched by cheeky chipmunks. It was fascinating to watch them fill their cheeks with food and then scuttle to their holes at the bottom of tree trunks to off load before coming back for more. One cheeky guy scooted over to grab food from another's paws, much to the surprised delight of all the picnicers.
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| Alluvial Fan tree |
We saw several dead trees, including aspens and were told that this was being caused by beetles burrowing inside.
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| Aspens |
After an enjoyable time on the trail at Alluvial Fan we headed for Deer Mountain where, to our surprise, we found that the gates to Trail Ridge Mountain were open and a line of cars was both going up and coming down. Very happily we turned right and headed on up.
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| From Alluvial Fan |
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| Looking Down at Trail Ridge Road |
Trail Ridge Road is a windy road up to the top to the Alpine Visitor Centre 11796 ft, 3595m and this was our intended destination. From there the road continues down and around to the other side of the park to Milner Pass, Timber Creek and onwards.
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| Trail Ridge view near Rainbow Curve, snow storm approaching |
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| cold wind blowing |
We stopped at vantage points to enjoy the awesone snow covered mountains and for a bit of fun playing around. We won't see snow for a while - last time we were this close was twenty five years ago!
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| Watch out ! Just kidding! |
At this point it began to snow so we quickly retreated to the car and continued on our way to the Alpine Centre. Snow began to thicken and the wind to whistle, visibility began to diminish and we began to see that it might be a good idea to find a place to turn around and head back.
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| Turning Point |
Saying goodbye to this lonely snowman, we headed back down the mountain delighted at having enjoyed the beautiful icy wilderness. Colarado is a really beautiful State and there is much more to explore in the coming days.
The rockies are certainly beautiful mountains. We never got to Colorado on our tour so it is good to be able to see it here.
ReplyDeleteDiane - The Rockies were quite awesome - we saw a little more of them as we drove through on our way to Yellowstone and also from the California Zephyr. Colarado was a lovely State - half flat lands and half mountainous. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there.
ReplyDeleteYou've had some great times yourself!